Main:Jennie Thompson

Jennie Thompson
Thompson at the 1999 American Cup
Country represented	United States of America
Born	July 29 1981 (1981-07-29) Wichita Falls, Texas, USA
Years on National Team	1992-2000
Club	Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy (CGA), Dynamo (former)
Coach(es)	Mary Lee Tracy
Current status	Retired

Jennie Leonard (née Thompson, born July 29, 1981) is a retired American artistic gymnast. She has represented the United States at the 1997 World Championships as well as the 1999 Pan American Games. She is the 1999 U.S. National Champion on the uneven bars. Her favorite event was floor exercise.

Featured Gymnast for February 2023

Junior Career

In 1991, Thompson competed at the American Classic in Salt Lake City in the B division, winning the all-around. She also attended the Copa Elite in Monterrey, Mexico, also winning the all-around as well as bars and beam.

In 1992, Thompson competed at the U.S. Classic in Knoxville, placing fourth in the all-around. She then attended the National Championships in Columbus, finishing seventh in the all-around and tying for first on floor exercise with Kristy Powell. She was chosen to attend the Junior Pan American Championships in Brazil, finishing first with the American team, first in the all-around, first on beam, and second on bars and floor exercise.

She competed at the American Classic in 1993 in Murray, Utah, finishing third in the all-around. At the U.S. Olympic Festival in San Antonio she finished first with the team and seventh in the all-around. She attended the National Championships in Salt Lake City, winning the junior all-around title. She was chosen to compete at the Junior Pacific Alliance competition in Canberra, Australia, placing second with the American team, third in the all-around, and winning beam and floor.

Senior Career

Thompson starting competing as a senior in 1994. At the American Cup in Orlando, she was seventh during preliminaries. At the American Classic which was also the world championships trials she was fifth in the all-around. She was chosen to compete at the St. Petersburg Goodwill Games where the American team placed fourth. At the National Championships in Nashville, Tennessee, she was fourth in the all-around and on floor and third on balance beam.

Thompson did not compete throughout 1995 due to injury. In 1996, she returned to competition at the American Class which also served as the worlds trials. She placed fifth in the all-around. At the U.S. Classic in Colorado Springs, she won the all-around as well as vault, beam, and floor, and won the bronze on bars. She attended the Budget Rent a Car Gymnastics Invitational against France, winning with the American team. She attended the Olympic Trials in Boston, placing ninth in the all-around, two places away from making the Olympic team.

In 1997, Thompson competed at the U.S. National Championships, placing seventh in the all-around. She was selected for the U.S. team for the world championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. There, the American team placed sixth in the team final. 

Thompson attended the American Classic in 1998, finishing twelfth on vault, eighth on bars, and fifteenth on beam. She was injured during her floor routine. At the U.S. Classic in San Antonio, Texas, she placed first in the all-around, first on vault, fifth on bars, and first on beam and floor. At the National Championships, she finished fourth in the all-around, third on vault, fifth on bars, eleventh on beam, and tied for eighth place on floor exercise. She also attended the China Cup in 1998 in Tianjin, where her team placed 7th and she finished 20th in the all-around.

In 1999, Thompson attended the American cup, winning the all-around and also posting the highest score on the uneven bars. At the Pontiac International Team Championships, she placed second with the American team. At the American Classic which also served as the Pan Ams Trials in Pomona, California, she placed second in the all-around. She was chosen for the American team for the Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, Canada. At the competition, Thompson placed second with the American team and third in the all-around. At the U.S. National Championships in Sacramento, she was third in the all-around and on beam and won the national title on the uneven bars. She attended the Worlds Team Trials in Kansas City, Missouri.

She retired from gymnastics in early 2000 due to back problems.

Medal Count

Year	Event	TF	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
1991	Copa Elite		1st		1st	1st
	U.S. Classic		1st
1992	U.S. Classic		4
	U.S. National Championships		7				1st
	Junior Pan American Championships	1st	1st		2nd	1st	2nd
1993	American Classic		3rd	11	4	5	2nd
	U.S. Olympic Festival	1st	7
	U.S. National Championships		1st
	Junior Pacific Alliance	2nd	3rd			1st	1st
1994	American Classic		5
	St. Petersburg Goodwill Games	4
	U.S. National Championships		4			3rd	4
1996	American Classic		5
	U.S. Classic		1st	1st	3rd	1st	1st
	Budget Rent a Car Gymnastics Invitational	1st
	U.S. National Championships		8		6	6	3rd
	U.S. Olympic Trials		9
1997	U.S. National Championships		7	11	11	15	12
	Lausanne World Championships	6
1998	American Classic			12	8	15
	U.S. Classic		1st	1st	5	1st	1st
	U.S. National Championships		4	3rd	5	11	8
	China Cup	7	20
1999	Visa American Cup		1st		1st
	Pontiac International Team Championships	2nd
	American Classic		2nd
	Winnipeg Pan American Games	2nd	3rd
	U.S. National Championships		3rd		1st	3rd

Floor Music

1993 - "Canari Polka" by The Golden Nightingale Orchestra

1994 - "As Der Rebbe Elimelech Is Gevoyrn Asoi Freylach" by Itzhak Perlman & Israel Zohar & Dov Seltzer performed by Israel Philharmonic Orchestra

1995 - "DOB's Boogie (Boogie Woogie)" by Hugo Strasser

1999 - "Dr. Bones" by Cherry Poppin' Daddies